Name James Katz | Education Rutgers University | |
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James e katz top 18 facts
James E. Katz PhD is a communication scholar with an expertise in new media, (especially concerning the Internet, social media, and mobile phone). He has published widely and is frequently invited to comment on his research at both academic and public policy forms as well as to give interviews to media outlets.
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In 2012, Katz was appointed the Feld Professor of Emerging Media at Boston University’s College of Communication. In addition, he directs its newly established Division of Emerging Media Studies and Center for Mobile Communication Studies.
Prior to his appointment, he was professor and chair of the Department of Communication at Rutgers University, NJ, USA. Also at Rutgers University, in 2012, he received the highest honor that can be bestowed on one of its faculty members, the designation of Board of Governors Professor of Communication [need citation]. Preceding his tenure at Rutgers, Katz served as a Senior Scientist directing the social science research unit at Bell Communications Research (Bellcore) Telcordia Technologies. Katz has also taught at the University of Texas, Austin, where he also served as chair of the Austin World Affairs Council. He has also served term as editor-in-chief of Human Communication Research, a flagship journal of the International Communication Association.
Since receiving his Ph.D. in Sociology from Rutgers University in 1975, he has published over 15 books on topics ranging from government and scientific policy to museums, mobile devices and the use of social media. His books have been translated into many languages including Italian, Spanish and Japanese. Along with Rutgers colleague Mark Aakhus he developed the concept of Apparatgeist, related to how people develop relationships with their technologies, and how they seek to find transcendental ways to communicate. His recently published "Handbook of Mobile Communication Studies" (2008) has been a top-seller in the category of Computer and Internet books on Amazon. The book consists of 32 edited chapters that discuss the range of mobile phone usage around the world, much of which was originally presented at a conference held at Rutgers University in 2005. His co-edited volume, Perpetual Contact, has been described by "Work, Employment and Society" as a 'collection [that] will promote further debate in fields concerning the social construction of technologies, communications and media.'
In 2013, Dr. Katz published "The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Digital Engagement" (Palgrave Macmillan, 228 pp.) with Michael Barris and Anshul Jain. The study examines the White House's use of Twitter and other online tools for policy initiatives and strategic campaigns since 1992, and in particular since 2009 during Barack Obama's presidency. The authors discuss the strengths and weaknesses of social media for public engagement, and concludes that its impacts in promoting the efficiency of democratic institutions have often been exaggerated. Drawing on interviews, case studies and social-media content, the book provokes academic and popular discussions about the successes, limitations and missed opportunities in the strategic use of social media in Obama's administration.
Selected publications
Quotes about James E. Katz's publications
The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Digital Engagement (2013)
"Obama's political campaign machine broke all sorts of fundraising records and media outreach goals. But as The Social Media President reveals, the more important and lasting story has to do with the transformation of the office of the presidency. There are important differences between the role of digital media in Obama's campaign and his administration. These authors reveal that while some presidential initiatives have made innovative use of social media, even the highest political office holder in the land can't crowd-source everything." - Philip N. Howard, Professor, University of Washington, USA
Handbook of Mobile Communication Studies (2008)
"In trying to cast a wide net, yet maintain an internal coherency to the collection, Katz makes wise choices in his arrangement of chapters into thematic sections: Digital Divides and Social Mobility; Sociality and Co-presence; Politics and Social Change; Culture and Imagination.…the volume’s breadth establishes it as a valuable resource for researchers and students of mobile communications." --Information, Communication & Society
Magic in the Air (2006)
"A pioneering figure in mobile studies, James Katz offers us a fascinating, authoritative, and profoundly human assessment of this enchanting technology's place in communications and society. Katz guides us on an illuminating journey through religion, public space, fashion, education, information, and even 9/11--an indispensable account of the mobile's past, present, and futures."—Gerard Goggin, Dept. of Media and Communications, The University of Sydney
Connections (2003)
"A fine assembly of research-based observations on the complex place of the telephone in American society. James Katz's mastery of his subject shines through every chapter."—Robert K. Merton, University Professor Emeritus, Columbia University
Machines that become us: The social context of personal communication technology. (2003)
"Machines That Become Us is very much focused on the empirical understanding of information technologies. This kind of work is sorely needed as such technologies become more and more present in everyday life. James Katz is to be commended for putting together a highly successful volume." —Mark Poster, professor of history, University of California, Irvine
Perpetual contact: Mobile communication, private talk, public performance (2002)
"[F]or those interested in social and cultural aspects of mobile communication, the studies in Perpetual Contact are insightful and exciting because one gets a sense of how scholars are using and redefining key communication concepts, including public and private mobility, symbolic capital, the everyday, and affect." --Canadian Journal of Communication
Social consequences of Internet use: Access, involvement and expression (2002)
"...an interesting and important contribution to the study of the Internet and its usage within the United States....[Katz and Rice] have put together a fairly comprehensive analysis of the social consequences of Internet usage and offer us a compilation of their own research." --Social Science Computer Review
"...this book should be read by those interested in seeing a 21st-century example of the culture of poverty thesis." --Social Science Computer Review
"Overall, this book serves as an excellent resource in organizing discussions around Internet use and its societal consequences....The authors provide an exceptional review of the field and neatly tie together quantitative survey results with the richness of qualitative studies." --Information, Communication & Society
"The book is clearly written and delivers so many new insights into the understanding of the relationship between Internet users and the wider society that it deserves a wide readership. The carefully developed methodology, the extremely dense quantitative data, which are backed up with concrete examples, and some ethnographic observations, set a very high standard for future research on the Net." --Contemporary Sociology
The Internet and Health Communication: Experiences and Expectations. (2001)
"One of the many strengths of the book is its balanced perspective of the roles of information technology and CMC…A second strength is its applied and interdisciplinary focus." --The Journal of Health Communication
"...this book is a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in health communication and CMC. The range of topics is impressive from a communication standpoint, encompassing intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and mass communication contexts." --The Journal of Health Communication
"Perhaps this book’s greatest contribution will be as a testament to some of the earliest hopes and initial enthusiasm for the Internet during the beginning years of healthcare in the new millennium." --Communication Booknotes Quarterly
The Implications of Third World Military Industrialization: Sowing the Serpents’ Teeth (1986)
"Katz and his colleagues have added to our knowledge and understanding of Third-World military-industrialization and provided us with abundant material for cross-national comparisons and theoretical generalizations on other issues as well." --American Political Science Review
Arms Production in Developing Countries (1984)
"A significant addition to the arms-transfer bookshelf." --Foreign Affairs
"…this volume is bound to be regarded as significant by scholars interested in the foreign policy of third-world countries. The approach is empirical and rigorous, and the structure of the volume is quite satisfactory." --The American Political Science Review
Congress and National Energy Policy (1984)
"Katz presents an excellent framework for analyzing congressional behavior by relating Congress’ actions in energy policy to some of the literature on organizational theory." --The American Political Science Review
"Congress and National Energy Policy is easily the most important assessment to date of the dynamics of energy policymaking in the United States." --Social Science Quarterly
Nuclear Power in Developing Countries (1982)
"A series of well-researched essays, organized on a country-by-country basis." --Foreign Affairs, Fall 1982
"...a fascinating picture not just of the progress, or lack of it, of nuclear power in different countries, but of the process of energy decision-making, and the external and internal forces which have influenced it." --Development Policy Review, May 1984
"...an extremely readable and thought-provoking analysis and commentary on an area undeservedly neglected up to now." --Development Policy Review, May 1984
Presidential Politics and Science Policy (1978)
"…a welcome contribution to the literature of American science policy, the sociology of science, and the politics of science and government....it contributes importantly to an emerging field of political science—science, technology, and public policy…" --The Journal of Politics
"The work is lucidly written and well researched, with an excellent bibliography and command of the literatures of sociology and political science….extremely valuable for those who study the presidency and the scientific community…" --CHOICE